Grain door, its installation and removal



Jam, 25, 1955 Filed July 18, 1951 H. S. SACKETT ET AL.

GRAIN DOOR, ITS INSTALLATION AND REMOVAL 2 Sheets-Sheet l mm1- 25, 1955 H. s. sAcKETT ET A1. 2,700,193

GRAIN DOOR, ITS INSTALLATION AND REMOVAL Filed July 18, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l Z A v Y 2/ Z/ ZJ. c(

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ZZ ZZ United States Patent GRAW DOR, ITS INSTALLATION AND REMOVAL Homer S. Saclrett and Emmet G. Stack, Portland, Oreg. Application July 18, 1951, Serial No. 237,376

S Claims. (Cl. 2li-30) Our invention relates to improvements in the grain doors used in loading grain in box cars and has for its objectives an easier installation and removal of said doors and a minimizing of the damage to said doors common in current practice.

The present day box car used on our railroads is provided with two side doors thru which pass the commodities the car transports. Whenever grain is the commodity the door openings must be partially covered temporarily with what are known to the trade as grain doors so that the space between the two door openings may be utilized.

These so called grain doors are made up in 18" wide sections stacked edgewise one on the other to a depth of four, or six feet. An 18 wide section is made up of random width lumber cut 7-0 long with the pieces cleated together at each end with a piece of l x 6" x 18" long. A second course of lumber cut 60 long is positioned between the cleats and nailed to the first course. Care is taken that the pieces making up the two courses break joints and that knot holes or other defects in one course do not come opposite similar defects in the other course. This construction permits low grade lumber to be used. ln practice all four sections of a door are made similar and of like material.

When a car of grain is to be loaded, four door sections are set in place at each car opening and nailed to the jambs thereof or the car sides usually with four to eight 20d spikes per section. The average car is loaded to a depth of six feet or to the top of the grain door.

When the car reaches the elevator, the door sections must be lifted upwardly so that the grain behind them may flow out from under them into the unloading pit. The current practice is to drive a pinch bar under the bottom door section and pry it up. The larger elevators use a hydraulic jack made so that its foot may be driven under the bottom door section as was the pinch bar. Wheat creates a lateral pressure of approximately 297 pounds per lineal foot against a grain door and a vertical pressure of some 125 pounds per lineal foot. The jack must not only overcome the lateral and vertical pressure against the door but in addition must shear the spikes or pull them out of the door sections and/or the jambs or car lining. Such practice is very hard on the door sections and they must be constantly repaired or replaced.

These grain doors are the property of the various railroads. Each year the requested number of door sections are delivered to each grain-loading point. At the elevators a nation-wide organization picks up the door sections and returns them to the railroads distribution depot where they are repaired if that is possible.

Now that plywood is made up with waterproof resins it is proposed to use this material in lieu of the built-up door section. The door sections will be made 24 Wide since two sections may be ripped from the standard 48" wide plywood panel. Only three sections will be required to form the door instead of four as with lumber.

In Fig. 2, of the drawings which accompany this specication is shown that portion of the grain behind the grain door which creates the lateral and vertical pressure thereagainst. lt is apparent from Fig. 2, that the maximum pressure against the door is at the floor line and that the lateral pressure against the door varies from nothing at the top to a maximum at the bottom. It is therefore apparent that the door thickness might be varied from top to bottom if it were practicable. It is practicable to a certain extent when plywood is used. l r plywood has approximately the same strength as the 2,700,193 Patented Jan. 25, 1955 2 built-up door section using two courses of /32" boards of 1000# stress material. As a matter of fact 13/16" plywood may be used for the top section, 11/2" plywood for the middle section, and 2l plywood for the bottom section. Such an arrangement saves money, material, and weight. Since plywood panels are made up of from three or seven plies of veneer there is not a chance in a million of aligned defects in all plies.

The makeup of a plywood grain door and its application is set forth in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l, is an elevation in a car opening; Fig. 2 isa vertical section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a full size section showing the application of a formed clip to all three door sections; Flg. 4 shows a straight clip; Fig. 5 is an isometric View ot a formed clip; Fig. 6 shows one application of a straight clip; Fig. 7 shows another application of a straight clip; Fig. 8 is a section thru the dado cut in the bottom of the bottoni door section for the reception of a pinch bar or jack; Fig. 9 is an enlarged section on the line 9-9 of Fig. l0, thru the pocket formed for the reception of the clips and nails therefor during transit; Fig. ll) is a plan of a door section showing the location of the pocket and dadoes; Fig. ll shows fragmentary sections of graduated door sections; Fig. l2 is an elevation of a rabbetted door section; Fig. 1.3 shows a seetion-securing means with the head concentric with the shank; Fig. i4 shows a sectionsecuring means w1th a head projecting from one side of the shank.

Thruout the drawings and the specification similar numerals refer to similar parts.

Instead of describing a grain door D having sections of like thickness, one having a section similar to that shown 1n Fig. 2 will be described. The top section 1 may be of 1%6 ir plywood, the middle section 2 of 11/2. tir plywood, and the bottom section of 2" iir plywood.

Standard commercial plywood panels are made 4-0" in width and of various lengths with all edges and corners square. lt is to be noted in Fig. 2, that the top edge 1A of section 1 and the bottom edge 3A of section 3 are square while the joint I between sections 1 and 2 and 2 and 3 are on a bevel of approximately 2" to the foot with the slope toward the grain side. By tilting the ripsaw to provide the desired slope and ripping a panel on its centerline two top or two bottom door sections may be made atone time. A panel for the middle sections 2 may be ripped in a similar manner but the opposite longitudinalFedg of each section must also be bevelled as shown 1n 1g.

The grain doors of lumber, now in use, are all squareedge and it follows that the plywood grain door sections might be left square-edged, or tongue and grooved edges might be used. However, the bevel edge is simple and there is nothing to break off and since the grain exerts g so much lateral and vertical pressure against the door sections such pressure closed the bevel joint.

In order to eliminate the use of spikes to hold the grain door sections in place while a car is being loaded, other means are provided, several forms of which are shown together with their application. Fig. 4 shows a straight clip 4 and Fig. 5 shows a formed clip y5. These clips are preferably made of spring steel which may be` had in strip form from 1/2 to 3%1 in width and from .020 to .035 in thickness. There is a resiliency in spring steel and it has a tendency to resume its original form when forced out of line. This fact has been made use of. For instance, the formed clip 5 shown in Fig. 5, assumes the shape shown in Fig. 3, when in use and exerts in that form considerable pressure on the door sections because of its inherent tendency to resume its original form or that shown in Fig. 5. The straight clip 4 likewise is under tension when applied as in Figs. 6 and 7, and immediately straightens out when out of Contact with the door section.

Two holes 6 are provided in each clip-either 4 or 5 for the reception of 3d nails 7 which secure the clips to the jamb or car lining 8. Two clips, as 5, are provided at each end of each door section as shown in Fig. l. Staples (not shown) may be used in lieu of the nails 7.

The straight clip 4 is made about 2% long and if it is to be applied as shown in Fig. 6, its end 9 is preferably has a tendency to close and keep showing the door sections in place rounded off to eliminate corners that might dig into the door sectionsA as. they are. raised vertically by a jack or pinch bar.

Fig. 6 shows a groove 10 formed in the ends of the door sections, preferably. the same distance from the car lining 8 regardless of.y the door section7 thickness.f In other wordfS,v the face 10A of the groove.v 10- is in alignment. in ally three door sections as they.l lay against the car lining. If the straight clip. 4 is applied asV shown inv Fig. 7 one end` 4A may be` bent` slightly outof line to l aclip standardlporti'on may be made 1A" to 1/2" inlength which length will work. with 19/16" plywood and the bent end A may be made about 1A long as is the end 4A ofthe straight c lipV 4.

To prevent further damage to the door section, dadoes 115 have been provided in the bottom edge of thebottom door section 3' for the receptionl of the pinchy bar or jack that may be used to lift thel door sections. It is made with a taper sloping toward the grain side. To4 preventV crushing ofthe dad'o the same has been lined with a piece of spring steel 16 which is cut a trifle longer than the dado length andv sprung into place. The endsV mayl be serrated-the serrations not being shown-so that; the ends 16A may more readily bite into the end: of the dado. Fig. shows the approximate desired location of the dadoes 15.

It is currentpractice to unloadeach Wood door section separately, since if they were bundled four to the door they would" weight approximately 225#, a weight not readily handled by one. man. The three plywood door sections banded together Will weight only 194#A aweight more readily handled. By banding the three door sections in one package the bottom section may have a pocket 17 routed out of'one face. This pocket- 17. maybe made wide enough toV receive clips 4 and/or deep enough to receive thel standardportions, 13 as shown, in Fig, 9. The nails, 7 may also occupy tlitis` pocket 17. The clips and nails are prevented. from dropping outby the other door sections in.' the jackagef-fnot shown. When adoor is about to, beA put-,nlpositionthe proper f'astenings,4 are always on hand;VV When the door, 1s tobe removed all thatv 1s necessary" is to push it inwardly since the, spring clips'4 and' 5 yield' readily. j

The method disclosed of making, installing, manipulating, andyremoving grain doorsy means the saving of r manythousands of dollars to the railroads andthe holding of many millionsl of feet oftimber for posterity since many of the railroads use as much as 25,000,000 feet of lumber'eachl year for grain door replacement.

Itis apparent that thel clips may be designed for use with the lumber door sections and it is also apparent that many deviations` in them, may be made without departing from; the basic idea covered in the appended claims,l and that'means other thanfthe. spring steel clips maybe usedto'hold'the door sections iniedgewise stacked relation and'whichlike the.c1ipspermit therd'oor sectionsV :a be raised vertically and' removed Without damaging In Fig..11, fragmentary sections are shown of onel end of grain door sections 1, 2, and 3, each formedwith a rabbett 18 leaving the portion 19 of uniform thickness andthe face 20 of the rabbett 18 in alignment in all sectlons as was the face 10A ofthe groove 10. Itis apparent that the clips 4 and 5 may be used, whether the ends of the door sectionsare groovedy or rabbetted.

Howeven Fig, 11, shows a different form of' section,-v securmg means 21 which primarily consists. of a shank port1on-22 and a headportion 23; This head' 23 may be concentric with the shank 22 as shown in Fig. 13, or only project from. one side of the shank 22. asy shown. in. Fig. 14. This latter form is shown in Figs. 11 and 12, which show the shank portion 22 driven into the car lining 8, the shank portion 22 being positioned in close juxtaposition to the end of the door sections 1, 2, and 3, with the head 23 overlapping and in close juxtaposition to the face 20 of the rabbett 1:8. This arrangement keeps the door sections in the edgcwise stacked relation yet permits them to be freely movedvertically without damaging the sections.

If this form of door section-securing means is used, the bevelled joint I, the dadoes 15, and the pockets 17, previously discussed. are applicable.

It may be remarked at this timev that it would not be necessary to rabbettsection 1 if' the portion 19 is made as thick as said section.

It may also be remarked that the tension set up in the clips 4 and 5 varies with. the gauge of` the clip stock, the length of the clip base 14, and the thickness of that part of the door section engaged by the shoulder 11.

WhatA weclaim as new over the prior arti is:

l. A grain door for a box car including a, plurality of plywood sections arranged in edgewise stacked relation,

the sections being graduated in thickness froml the bot torn tol the. top with their adjacent edges bevelled and their endsmilled to, provide` a portion of uniform thickness, and means, secured, to the-car side, having portions overlappingsaid uniformly thick end portions of the door sections toy hold said door sections in edgewise stacked relation and leave them free to be moved, vertically.

2. A grain door, for a box car,l having a plurality of` sections arranged in edgewise stacked relation, each section being of uniform thickness; throughout a major portionof saidv section withv adjacent sctions being of different thickness the section` of greatesty thickness being positioned in the arrangement adjacent' the car floor, and each section having` the same: end' thickness.

3'. Agrain door, for` aY box` car, having a plurality of sections; arranged in edgewisev stacked relation, each section being of uniform thickness; thruoutthe major portion of said section with adjacentv sections being of different thickness,` the section of greatest thickness being positionedy in the.V arrangement adjacent the car floor, said: sectionl of; greatest, thickness having a dado cut in the edge, positioned' adjacent the car loor for the re-f ception of. means whereby the several. sections may beA raisedvertically4 as a unit'.`

4., Agi-ain. door for: a box can, having; 'in'. combination,` a. plurality of sections' each. section belng of uniform,

thickness thruout amajor: portion thereofv with adjacent section srbeing, of different thickness, ,thesection of great-- est thickness beingY positioned at theV pointA of greatest, stress and means` tov hold. thefseveral plywoodi sections in, vertical stacked. relation against the' car side said meansl having a shank portion adapted` toA be drivenv into thecar side to bear against the opposite ends of each sectionand a head portion, adapted to` lap. over the section cndportions adjacent thereto saidend portions being ofv the same thickness in all` door sections to permit the;-` ends of` all door sections to pass under said overlapping head portions when the door sections are raised vertically 5.y Agrain. door snchI as` claimed-1n claim 4;, `wherein each ofthe doorsections. comprise a single sheet of plywood.

Referencested intthe le of this patent UNI-TED STATES PATENTS 296,907 Alexander .e- Apr. 15, 1884 976,357 Goodwin Nov. 22, 1910 1,133,534 Burnett Mar. 30, 1915- 1,387,059.v McAllister Aug. 9, 1921 1,487,203v Campbellv Mar. 18, 1924 1,498,119 Pratt-z June 17, 1924 1,922,814 MacLean.l Aug. 15., 1933` 2,483,523 Brandon etal., Oct. 4, 1949 

